Last week, Mayor Dave Bronconier announced that he was stepping down after nine years on the job.
In doing so, he has assured himself of having a street that looks just like the rest of ours during the winter months.
If you’re not sure how you feel about the mayor leaving, consider that most Calgarians seem to be excited by the news. And while those naysayers will always exist, it’s a shame when most of them are our city’s aldermen. People seem to think that Bronconnier has lost his bite. Of course, it doesn’t help that he and Ed Stelmach get along like landlords and rent control.
But I happily disagree with those cynics. The mayor stepping down is like me going bald in high school. We knew it was going to happen; I just wish it wasn’t so soon.
I do not pretend to be a political expert. My knowledge of democracy is strongly tied to the always fair American Idol voting. But I happen to think that “Bronco” has a lot more buck in him.
Assuming that we’d be on a first-name basis, I want Dave to stick around. First, let’s start with how happy he seems. Sure, his smile is usually paired with a blank stare, but he always makes me happy. Shouldn’t that be enough?
No? Fine.
Secondly, he proves that even when everyone around you is telling you something you don’t want to hear, you don’t have to listen—and that means you’re right and, therefore, you win. Really, what more could you want from a mayor? Progressive action? Ugh. The ability to persuade complainers? Nah. How about getting along with our province’s MLAs? No thank you.
And if he doesn’t run, who will? You can probably count on a disgruntled, cocky U of C politics student, a likable Calgary Twitter celebrity, one of the two aldermen who’ve never missed a day of work, and at least three car dealership owners–because if you can trust anyone, it’s someone that sells cars.
Of course, this isn’t a job at the Calgary Zoo: this job requires experience. And no one has more experience than Bronconnier.
Dave, please reconsider.
Fact sheet:
For the last municipal election in 2007, voter turnout was less than 30 per cent. When Bronconier was last re-elected, he won with 61per cent of the vote. In 2004, he had 80 per cent of the vote.
– Michael Morrison writes daily about all things Canadian entertainment on the award-winning Mike’s Bloggity Blog.
